Former Partner of Son Heung-min Faces Arrest for Extortion Attempt
A former partner of South Korean national football player Son Heung-min (33, Tottenham Hotspur) is facing potential arrest for allegedly attempting to extort money by claiming she was pregnant with his child. The Seoul Central District Court is set to hold a substantive examination of the arrest warrants for the 20-year-old woman, identified as Ms. Yang, and a 40-year-old man, Mr. Yoon, who is accused of attempted extortion. The hearing will take place on May 17 at 2 PM, presided over by Chief Judge Yoon Won-mook of the Criminal Appeals Division 4. The Gangnam Police Station arrested both individuals on May 14 and conducted a search of their residences to gather relevant evidence.
According to reports, Ms. Yang, who previously dated Son, sent fabricated ultrasound images claiming she was pregnant to his representatives in June of last year. It is alleged that she received 300 million KRW in exchange for her silence. Son's team felt compelled to comply with the extortion demands due to concerns that the false claims could negatively impact both the player and the team.
After breaking up with Son, Ms. Yang reportedly began a relationship with Mr. Yoon, who later discovered that she had received money from Son. He then threatened to expose this information unless Son's team paid him 70 million KRW. Son's manager endured three months of harassment from Mr. Yoon before coming forward with the situation. Son has since stated, "We should no longer suffer from falsehoods and respond strongly to this matter." Following this, Son's agency filed a complaint with the police, prompting the investigation.
The Human Rights Protection Division of the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office, led by Chief Kim Nam-hoon, has submitted the arrest warrant request to the court.
